A transport strategy to enable a sustainable environment by 2020 calls on half of the population of major cities to use public transport by the end of the next decade.

The scheme, jointly drafted by the Ministry of Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Transport, was announced at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18.

Motorcycles and scooters will be the strategy’s major target to get to grips with the current rise of private transport in the country’s cities.

It also emphasises the need for tighter controls of emissions, remove outdated vehicles and encourages the use of non-motorised means of transport.

Tighter controls on fuel quality, more investments in transport infrastructure and road maintenance, improvement of traffic safety and upgrading of air quality observation stations along major roads are also part of the strategy.

It also looks to reduce the amount of Total Suspended Particles (TSP) to limits set by the World Health Organisation for urban areas and cut emissions of SO2, Nox and VoC in Hanoi and HCM City .

The plan also lays out a roadmap towards the Euro 3 standards by 2012 and Euro 4 by 2017 for the levels of automobile exhaust fumes.

Green fuel will make up 10 percent of fuel consumption, according to the 2020 strategy.

The last but not the least target is to cut traffic tolls by 45-50 percent compared to 2005./.